


Diplomacy

by i_am_a_mole_and_i_live_in_a_hole



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Fluff, Jötunheimr | Jotunheim, M/M, Odin's A+ Parenting, Safeword Use, Thor Is Not Stupid, implied A+ parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-06
Updated: 2014-09-06
Packaged: 2018-02-16 08:09:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2262249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_am_a_mole_and_i_live_in_a_hole/pseuds/i_am_a_mole_and_i_live_in_a_hole
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jotunheim and Asgard do not get along. Thor has a plan to institute some changes. This goes over better than Tony would have expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Diplomacy

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of an effort to drag myself back into Frostiron mindset.

         “A diplomatic delegation of _jötnar_ _?_ ” Loki’s astonishment was palpable. “That _faðir_ intends to host? On _purpose?_ ”

          “Well, he has not actually _invited_ them yet,” Thor boomed. He put a hand on Loki’s shoulder, which Loki shrugged off with the air of swatting a fly. At this point, Tony reflected as he watched them over the rim of his whiskey, rejected affectionate overtures had become a ritual for the brothers in and of themselves. It would almost be _weird_ if Loki ever worked himself up to the point of returning hugs instead of hissing and scratching like an uncooperative cat.

          “Actually,” Thor continued, his voice deep and rich and thrumming with purpose— _seriously, was ‘epic speaking’ a required class for princes of Asgard?,_ “It was my thought that we should have them over. Though our history runs deep with strife, I believe we have much that we could learn from each other. But I…” His eyes briefly dropped. “I know little of diplomatic intricacies and less of the people of Jötunheimr. I do intend to do this whether or not you agree to help, Loki, but I was hoping that you would.”

          Loki’s eyes narrowed to slits. Tony thought of swearing at Thor— _do you seriously not realize how much he hates being linked to Jotunheim—_ and ducking under the counter. He did neither of these things. Thor, apparently taking Loki’s “I am struck dumb by the effort of restraining myself from murdering you” silence as an assent to continue… continued.

          “Truly, brother.” Thor sought out Loki’s gaze and held it. “We were told… many things growing up. Many of those things were correct, but some… some, I have come to realize, were only the products of the bitterness of the hearts in those around us. Bitterness which I understand, for there were many lives lost in the war with Jotunheim, and people will always hate something that has threatened or taken the lives of those they love… but still, Loki, not a bitterness which gives rise to impartial fact. I want to learn more about them—their truths, the things that _they_ think, not the ridiculous stories we were told as children. And I want to learn more about _you—_ if you’ll permit me.”

          _“Oh,_ ” said Loki, looking neither pleased nor welcoming— _and yet,_ Tony noted with surprise, showing no signs of, say, stabbing Thor. In fact, he pursed his lips, seeming to choose his next words with caution—and when they came out, they were, at least by Loki standards, only a _little_ caustic. “So… you _weren’t_ just being your usual tactless self, just now. This absolutely _is_ about me, and you... are... something. Quite something. And I hope you agree, _brother…_ I am _not_ from Jötunheimr. I have no love for Jötunheimr.”

          “No,” the big guy agreed, “But you shouldn’t have to conceal something that’s a part of you, either.”

          “'Part of me', _right._  And you intend to prove your point by _inviting more jötnar into the palace._ Good grief.” For a moment the look on Loki’s face was downright comical, and then he began to snicker. “You really _are_ our father’s favorite.”

          _Oof._ Thor’s face fell, and Tony felt a twinge of sympathy for everyone present. _Right, yeah, awkward._ But instead of saying something scathing and walking off, Loki reached over to the counter, grabbed a raspberry shock-top from the six pack that Clint had left on the counter, and handed it to Thor, still snickering.

          “Here, drink this, it’s disgusting.”

          “Brother—” Thor looked crestfallen.

          “Shut up. Listen, far be it from me to refuse my assistance to someone who wants to walk _even more_ frost giants into Asgard. So stop looking at me like that, Thor, I will help you. Luckily for you, I have had… _occasion_ as of late to discover reasons not to be wholly disgusted by my jötun form.”

          _Occasions,_ _like wha_ — _wait._ Tony froze, a nervous sip of liquor still making its way down his throat. _If you’re talking about—_

          “Truly, brother?” A huge, oh-so-genuine smile broke out over Thor’s face.

          Loki inclined his head without so much as a glance at Tony, a smirk playing over his lips. “Indeed. You see, brother, as it turns out, your friend Stark is _quite_ sensitive to… temperature.”

          Thor’s brows drew together for a moment as if in confusion, glancing for the first time at Tony, who choked and tried to save the situation. “Um—yes, I—see, uh—the… air conditioning broke.” _Which it did. The first time._ “Loki… made ice.”

          “Oh, I most _certainly did.”_ Loki was not helping the situation by snickering like a boy in the locker room.

          There was no hint of having figured out the joke showing on Thor’s face—but Tony had to wonder, because he had a lot of trouble believing Thor could be that naïve, and a lot less trouble believing that Thor was nice and laid-back enough to let people _think_ him that naïve in situations where they would be embarrassed.

          Whatever. He didn’t care. Leave it to Loki to make a potential heartwarming sibling bonding moment into one giant sex joke. “Yeah, it was… really nice of him.”

          “Wonderful.” Thor clapped him on the shoulder and offered him one of those huge, congratulatory smiles—seriously, Point Break doled those out like candy sometimes—and turned to his brother, squeezing Loki’s shoulder. Tony watched with detached interest and sipped at his drink as the two of them began making plans—which at this stage consisted of nothing more solid than a list of books Loki intended to look at, and a lot of remarks about appropriate guest-housing possibilities that made Thor’s eyes visibly glaze over. And as Tony watched, seeking something false in Loki’s smile or the glint of his eye, he wondered if everything was as okay as Loki was claiming and as Thor seemed to think it was.

          Thor had not seen the way Loki shuddered when he found himself turning blue. Nor had he heard Loki utter his safeword for the first time out of all the times he and Tony’d gone to bed together, that first time they'd kept the lights on—his eyes shut, palms hovering above his hips as though he couldn’t bear to touch himself, unbound yet still somehow frozen. And Tony _knew_ Loki couldn’t be completely over it. ‘Over it’ wasn’t a feeling that just came out of the blue like that—though, ha ha, _blue._ There was too much there, too much hurt, too much that Loki still had to get over…

          _But,_ Tony thought, _maybe he’s more okay than he was before._ If he was, there was no point in analyzing it. ‘Completely one hundred per-cent over it’ was an ambitious thing to hope for, but ‘more okay than before’ was not. And with enough more-okay-than-befores piling up around him…

          ‘Over it’ might not come out of the blue. But perhaps, like happiness, it might come, on silent wing, and sit softly on the shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> ...We'll see if I ever manage to banish that niggling tendency to over-write the woobie aspects of Loki's character. I just really crave seeing him... grow up a bit.
> 
> Come hang out with me on tumblr as happygutters (nsfw) or mari-the-mole (everything else).


End file.
